A meeting between people from Afā and Niutōua was held this evening in Afā in an attempt to patch things up after shootings and a brawl was caught on camera.
Police officers, church ministers and leaders of the two communities were at the meeting which was livestreamed and shared on Facebook.
The video purported to show a Police officer speaking during the meeting.
He was overheard as saying it appeared that a convenience store in Afā sold liquor after hours. He said the store should have closed at 9pm.
The officer said the store could be closed for good if it continued the late-night activities. The officer appeared to be of a view that the alleged after-hour selling of the alcohol at the store opened an opportunity for the two groups to meet there and fight.
“It is important for us to live in peace and harmony,” he said in Tongan.
The meeting was organised to reconcile the two rival groups after two men were allegedly injured in a shooting incident in Afā last week.
Meanwhile, a graphic video clip was released on Facebook this week.
It purported to show three men being knocked unconscious by their opponents during a fight.
Allegations on Facebook said the fight involved people from Niutōua and Afā.
A 190-year-old tortoise from Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean is now confirmed as the world’s oldest turtle by Guinness World Records (GWR).
In 1953, during Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Tour of Tonga, Tu’i Malila was shown to the monarch at the time having been an icon for the royal family. The above picture shows Queen Elizabeth II meeting the 176-year-old tortoise
Jonathan is expected to celebrate his 190th birthday this year making “him the oldest-known land animal alive today”, GWR said.
“His official record title is oldest chelonian – a category which encompasses all turtles, terrapins and tortoises”, it said.
Jonathan has “come through the winter well”, as per an update from the St Helena Government. “He grazes well now, but is unaware of food if we simply place it on the ground.”
“The Veterinary Section is still feeding him by hand once a week to boost his calories, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, as he is blind and has no sense of smell.”
“His hearing though is excellent and he loves the company of humans, and responds well to his vet Joe Hollins’ voice as he associates him with a feast.”
Jonathan is believed to have been born in 1832.
“Jonathan age is an estimation based on the fact that he was fully mature, and hence at least 50 years old, when he arrived in St Helena from the Seychelles in 1882.
Jonathan the tortoise pictured in February 2019
In all likelihood, he is even older than we think”.
Tu’i Malila
The previous oldest living tortoise recognized by GWR was Tonga’s Tu’i Malila, a radiated tortoise that reached at least 188 years old.
“She was owned by the royal family of Tonga between 1777 and 1965, and had been presented to them by British explorer Captain James Cook during his third – and final – Pacific voyage (1776–80)”.
Tu’i Malila, died at the Royal Palace ground in Nuku’alofa on May 16, 1965.
The people of Tonga regarded the animal as a chief and special keepers were appointed to look after it.
Reports said it was blinded in a bush fire a few years before her death. Her carcass was sent to the Auckland Museum in New Zealand.
One report said the preserved body of Tu’i Malila was currently on display at the Tonga National Centre.
Zane Wedding said he initially thought the problem was just water in his ear and later gave the insect to the ear specialist as a memento
New Zealand man Zane Wedding had a cockroach pulled from his ear three days after feeling a wriggling sensation. Photograph: Michael Craig/New Zealand Herald
A New Zealand man has had a cockroach pulled from his ear three days after first feeling a squirming sensation.Zane Wedding said he initially thought the problem was just water in his ear.
The Aucklander had been for a swim at a local pool on Friday morning and fell asleep on his couch that evening. He woke up with a blocked ear – and the feeling there was something wriggling inside.
The cockroach pulled from Zane Wedding’s ear. Photograph: Zane Wedding
On Saturday, Wedding had his ear syringed. He was given antibiotics, instructions to blow-dry the side of his head, and a suggestion he return if he still felt movement. “Immediately after, it felt way worse,” said Wedding.
He went deaf in one ear and was unable to sleep. The hairdryer didn’t help. He joked: “I’ve been cooking it [with the hairdryer] since Saturday.”
Experience: A cockroach got stuck in my ear
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Wedding then booked into an ear specialist. On Monday, she peered into his ear.“Literally the second she looked, she said, ‘Oh my god … I think you have an insect in your ear.’”
It took a few minutes, a suction device and tweezers to pull the now-dead cockroach from Wedding’s ear.Wedding gave it to the specialist as a memento; she had never extracted an insect before.
There are 28 new community cases of Covid-19 and 13 new cases in MIQ.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said there were 34 people in hospital, including two in ICU.
Today’s new cases were in Auckland (9), Waikato (3), Bay of Plenty (5), Rotorua (2), Wairarapa (4), Hutt Valley (2) and Canterbury (3).
The Ministry said the two Lower Hutt cases are from the same household and had been in Rotorua recently, while the three new cases in Christchurch are all household contacts.
A number of locations of interest in the Hutt Valley, Christchurch, Hamilton, Auckland and Feilding have been added to the Ministry’s website today.
The cases at the border came from Sri Lanka, Australia, India, USA, Singapore, Brazil, Israel and Great Britain.
The seven-day rolling average of border cases is 29, while the rolling average of community cases is 30.
Yesterday there were 28 community cases and 65 in MIQ, as well as two further deaths.
A man in his 30s died at home on 5 January and tested positive for Covid-19 after his death, while a man in his 60s died at Middlemore Hospital on Sunday.
There have now been 11,236 cases in the current community outbreak and 14,512 cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand since the pandemic began.
There has also been a wastewater detection in Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty on 10 January.
The Ministry said Capital and Coast will today become the first DHB area to reach the 90 percent fully vaccinated milestone for Māori, with just 32 second doses needed when the region’s clinics close yesterday
Canterbury and Auckland DHBs are also nearing the 90% fully vaccinated mark for their eligible Māori populations.
The Ministry said 42 percent of the population currently eligible have now received their booster shot.
There were 41,853 booster doses given yesterday, as well as 1437 first doses, 3842 second doses and 630 third primary doses.
The Takuilau Catholic school’s outstanding results in the 2021 national examination released last week have triggered concerns in the wake of a damning report about the falling student achievement of ‘Apifo’ou College – the church’s biggest school in Tonga.
Dr ‘Alisi Kautoke Hōlani. Photo/Screengrab
A total of 17 out of 20 students of Takuilau College Form Seven – or 85 percent of the class passed their national exams.
While the overall result was applauded, it also sparked serious concerns about the ‘Apifo’ou College’s academic standing.
When the Ministry of Education (MOE) released the results of the examination it mentioned schools which had outstanding performances. ‘Apifo’ou College was not mentioned.
It said the overall pass rate for the Tonga Form Six Certificate (TFSC) 202l is 49 percent, a slight decrease from 54 percent in 2020.
“There are four schools that showed outstanding improvement in the TFSC examination”, the MOE said.
“The best performing High School having attained 77% in 2021 from 33% in 2020 is St Andrews High School of the Anglican Church Mission .The second best performing High School is Niuafo’ou District High School with an improved pass rate of 80% from 57% in 2020. This is followed by Mailefihi Siu’ilikutapu College, Vava’u of the Free Wesleyan Church Mission with 67% in 2021 from 45% in 2020 and ‘Eua High School achieved 82% from 61% in 2020”, the Ministry said in a statement.
It also said: “Four subjects attained the Distinction Level namely Mathematics, Biology, Accounting and Computing and lCT from Tonga High School, Queen Sālote College in Accounting and Liahona High School also in Computing and ICT”.
‘Apifo’ou came last in 2020 exams
Concerns among the ‘Apifo’ou ex-students came in the wake of a damning report about the reasons why the students performance fell by a huge margin in the national tests.
The report by Dr ‘Alisi Kautoke Hōlani was revealed during a meeting with ex-students in Tongatapu in August 2021 which was livestreamed and shared on Facebook.
Dr Hōlani, who was an ex-student of ‘Apifo’ou and was a member of the school’s executive committee, described the report in Tongan as devastating.
In 2020, Form Six class students from 22 high schools took part in the national exam and when the results were announced ‘Apifo’ou came last, Dr Hōlani said.
Form Five students from 35 schools participated in the national exam in 2020 and when the results were out ‘Apifo’ou was numbered 28.
Dr Hōlani, who is currently the Deputy CEO of the government’s Ministry of Trades and Economic Development, said she was shocked when she learned about the results.
She said she, her uncles, grandparents and great grandparents went to ‘Apifo’ou College and they took pride in the success and achievements they had at school. She said this was especially so when it came to national school examinations and competitions. She said that in the past ‘Apifo’ou’s performance results were either in the top five or top 10.
She also said ‘Apifo’ou often challenged the kingdom’s top high school, the Tonga High School in attaining top marks in national examinations.
Concerned ex-students shared the same experience with Dr Hōlani and called on the church to overhaul the school system and work with the various ‘Apifo’ou alumni associations to help the school.
Some asked why Takuilau College could have achieved such an excellent result and not ‘Apifo’ou.
Teachers’ salaries so low
Dr Holani said an inquiry was conducted to find out why the school was failing. It found that the best teachers at ‘Apifo’ou had left the school and were teaching at the government schools because the government paid their teachers far more.
She said ‘Apifo’ou paid TOP$10,000 for teachers who had overseas first-degree qualifications, while the government paid a minimum of TOP$30,000.
Dr Hōlani said she was emotional when she found out from the inquiry that ‘Apifo’ou only had a limited budget of TOP$2000 to fund its scientific laboratory every year. She said the money was not enough to buy the resources needed to help teach Form One and Two students.
She said teachers at ‘Apifo’ou had no option but to go to other schools, including Tailulu College, and borrow their scientific teaching resources.
She said the annual budget for the economic lessons was TOP$1000.
“You can figure out from there that that’s one of the reasons why our examination results fell,” Dr Hōlani said in Tongan.
Alumni Associations willing to help
Dr Hōlani said ex-students could play an important role in helping the school. She urged all former students to pull together as a team to rescue the school they loved.
The news came after the Apifo’ou College online community told the authorities they were willing to help.
‘Apifo’ou College has one of the strongest and liveliest overseas alumni especially in New Zealand, where more than 80,000 Tongans live.
The Association’s members in New Zealand are classified into years when they studied at ‘Apifo’ou, including 1975-80, 1981-85, 1986-90 apart from some who gave the groups their own names. That classification was proved to work well when the jubilee of the school’s 125th year was celebrated in 2012. All groups were tasked with various projects to help the school, including mathematics and computer science laboratories.
However, it appeared that after the jubilee there was nothing else to maintain the spirit and the communication between the New Zealand associations and the ‘Apifo’ou College’s authorities. It led to most of the projects collapsing due to lack of upkeep and maintenance.
It is understood that the New Zealand, Australian and American ‘Apifo’ou alumni associations are still willing to help the school, but need the college to tell them what they need.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA NOUNOU
Kuo tuku mai ‘a e ola ‘a e ngaahi sivi fakapule’anga ‘o e 2021 pea kuo hoko ‘a e tu’ukimu’a ‘a e Kolisi Takuilau ‘a e Katolika’ ke ‘ohake ai ‘a e hoha’a kuo ki’i tolanga mai ki he tu’unga tō lalo fau kuo ‘i ai ‘a e Kolisi ‘Apifo’ou ‘a e siasi’ ni. ‘I hono fakamafola ‘e he Potungāue Ako ‘a Tonga’ ‘a e ola ‘o e sivi’ ne mahino pe ‘a e Ako Mā’olunga ‘o Tonga’ ka ne ‘i ai mo e ngaahi ako ne fu’u ola lelei mo fakalaka ‘aupito hangē ko Sa ‘Anitelū, Liahona mo Kuini Sālote. Kau ki ai mo e Ako Mā’olunga ‘a ‘Eua’, Mailefihi Siu’ilikutapu, mo e Ako Mā’olunga ‘a Niuafo’ou. Ne ‘ikai ‘asi heni ‘a ‘Apifo’ou. Kuo tālanga’i e tō lalo ‘a ‘Apifo’ou ‘e he’enau kau ako tutuku’ he ope’ ‘i he laumālie ‘o e fietokoni he ‘oku ‘ikai ko e me’a ‘eni ne anga ki ai ‘a e ako’anga’ ni talu mei mu’a. Ne mei ‘i he top 5 pe top 10 pe ‘a ‘Apifo’ou ‘i he ngaahi sivi fakapule’anga fakafonua’ pea ‘i ai e ngaahi taimi ne ne fa’a pole’i ‘a e Ako Mā’olunga ‘a Tonga he ngaahi fe’uhi lahi. Ne hū mai e hoha’a ko ‘eni hili ia hono tuku mai ha lipooti ko ha faka’eke’eke ‘eni fekau’aki mo e tōlalo ‘a ‘Apifo’ou’. Ne ‘asi ai ‘i he 2020, ne fe’unga mo e apiako foomu ono ‘e 22 ‘i Tonga ne sivi’. ‘I he ola ‘o e sivi ‘a e foomu ko ‘eni’ ko ‘Apifo’ou ne muimui taha’ pe fika 22. Pea ko e foomu nima ne fe’unga mo e ‘apiako ‘e 35 ko ‘Apifo’ou ne fika 28. Ne fai leva e fakatotolo ki he tupu’anga ‘a e tōlalo’. ‘Uluaki’ ko e ‘ikai sai ‘a e vahe ‘a e kau faiako’. Lahi e ‘alu ‘a e kau faiako lelei ne ‘i ‘Apifo’ou’ ki he pule’anga’ ‘o faiako ai ko ‘ene vahe lelei. ‘Ikai ko ia pe toe fu’u vaivai fakapa’anga pe ‘a ‘Apifo’ou ia. Ne fakatātā’aki ‘a e ‘ikai fe’unga e patiseti $2,000 ‘oku fakapa’anga’aki ‘a e leepi saienisi ke kumi’aki ‘a e naunau fe’unga mo totonu ki he ako’. Iku leva ki he ‘alu ‘a e kau faiako’ ‘o kole naunau mei he leepi ‘a e ngaahi ako kehe’ kau ai ‘a e kole ki he Kolisi Tailulu’. Ko e fakamatala tonu ‘eni ‘a Dr ‘Alisi Kautoke Hōlani, na’e ako mo ia ‘i ‘Apifo’ou, kau ki he palopalema’ ni mo ne uki e kau ako tutuku ke nau ‘ofa ‘o ala nima ange ke tokoni’i ‘a e ako’anga’.
Samoans working in the RSE scheme in New Zealand earn more money than fellow citizens on a similar scheme in Australia according to a report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The report “Seasonal worker schemes in the Pacific through the lens of international human rights and labour standards” also reveals that other Pacific islanders on the New Zealand RSE scheme earn less money than Samoans doing the same work.
Samoans in New Zealand earned the highest money at $AUD1,093 per week with the Fijians raking in the lowest rate of Pacific Island workers at $AUD736 per week.
The tables are turned in Australia though with Fijians earning the highest at $AUD1,138 per week and Vanuatu workers are paid the lowest at $AUD834 per week said the report.
Overall, the report said that workers in Australia average $2,580 tālā per week compared to $2,260 tālā a week in New Zealand.
Some employers continue to pay their returning workers the minimum wage, despite the workers having increased skills and several years of experience, according to the report.
Samoan RSE workers heading to Australia Photo: Supplied / Tipi Autagavaia
According to the data collected for the report there were considerable variations in income between countries of origin and among individual cases which have also been identified in other studies.
There were also concerns about employment conditions which relate to the complexity and lack of transparency around how piece rates are calculated and the employers that do not conform to rates that change throughout the seasons.
By Christine Rovoi, RNZ Pacific Journalist of RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.
Fiji’s government has warned of a rise in diseases with the potential to prove deadlier than Tropical Cyclone Cody which hit the country on Monday.
The storm left one man dead and led to widespread flooding and thousands of people fleeing their homes.
Soldiers help clean up in the capital Suva. Photo: Supplied/Fiji govt
The clean-up is underway as the government assesses the full extent of the damage caused by Cody.
Fiji’s Minister for Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu said while Covid-19 continues to grip the country, there’s a need to stay alert of other deadly illnesses.
He said the government will launch a ‘LTDD’ campaign across the country to combat leptospirosis, typhoid, dengue and diarrhoea.
“The outbreak of communicable diseases are common in the aftermath of disasters such as cyclones and floods.
“To help prevent any major outbreak of contagious diseases, the ministry and health officials intend to raise awareness and educate the affected population.”
Following Cyclone Ana in January 2021, Fiji’s Health Ministry reported hundreds of cases of LTDD diseases across the country.
In December 2020, Cyclone Yasa had hit the country and before that was Tropical Cyclone Harold in April, 2020 – a month after Fiji recorded its first case of Covid-19.
People are helped to get to safety by local police Photo: Fiji NDMO
Fiji’s Ministry of Health recorded over 5400 cases of Leptospirosis, Typhoid, Dengue and Diarrhoea following Cyclones Yasa and Ana.
Minister for Health, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, said there were 1747 dengue fever cases with five deaths after Yasa and Ana.
He said there were also 99 cases of typhoid with one death.
Waqainabete said natural disasters increased the intensity of the diseases and highlighted there were 3019 cases of diarrhoeal disease following cyclones Yasa and Ana.
Leptospirosis is a blood infection disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira.
The signs and symptoms of the disease can range from none or mild – headaches, muscle pains, and fevers – to severe bleeding in the lungs or meningitis.
During a media conference in Suva on Monday, Inia Seruiratu said his ministry is positioning itself to combat the spread of such diseases.
Soldiers clear rubbish during the LTDD campaign. Photo: Supplied/Fiji govt
He emphasised the need to retain control of the diseases as the Health Ministry prepared for the Covid-19 booster vaccination rollout this year.
He said the ministry would send teams around the country to educate people on reducing their risk of getting leptospirosis and to seek treatment early.
The recent floods in the country have escalated the surge in these communicable diseases, Seruiratu said.
Since the first case of Covid-19 was reported on 19 March 2020, Fiji has had 57,849 coronavirus cases, with 51,629 recoveries and 714 deaths.
The Health Ministry has conducted 482,077 coronavirus tests since March 2020 with 521 carried out in the latest update on 10 January 2022.
The public is urged to do their part to eliminate LTDD diseases.
“We need to clean up our homes, clean up our compounds, clean up areas in our community that are possible breeding grounds for vectors, for pests and therefore for diseases,” the ministry said.
.. Photo: Facebook / NDMO
Leptospirosis could be caught when people did not cover and protect cuts or wounds on their hands and feet.
“Make sure you have good footwear, wear gumboots, wear gloves to avoid getting leptospirosis.”
Typhoid and diarrhoea were, for the most part, food and water-borne, the ministry said.
“Ensure that all food is well cooked and are covered. People living in areas that suffered during the cyclone should boil all drinking water.
“Diarrhoea occurs when people eat food that is not cleaned properly and becomes contaminated. If you’re suspicious about the food, it’s best not to consume it and dispose of it.”
When it came to dengue, the ministry said mosquitoes were the main problem.
“Dengue is caused by mosquitoes that live near and inside the homes.
Waivou Village in Rewa Province, Fiji was flooded for a week during floods in December 2016. A Fiji Red Cross team is seen here helping to assess the village’s needs. Photo: Fiji Red Cross
“Tin cans and containers lying around the house should be cleared as when water is collected in these receptacles, they become breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Red Cross Society is urging residents not to wade in floodwaters and to wear protective equipment when cleaning their compounds or fetching livestock.
The society’s Disaster Management Coordinator, Maciu Nokelevu, said their findings in recent years had shown that cases of water-borne and communicable diseases were found following a cyclone.
He called on Fijians in affected areas to boil drinking water.
“The people of Fiji need to wear protective equipment like gumboots when walking in muddy areas because of the risk of Leptospirosis, water-borne diseases and dengue,” Nokelevu said.
He said more than 20 volunteers are assisting families in flood-affected areas with rehabilitation and this included moving them safely to their respective homes.
The distribution of relief supplies will be carried out over the next few days, Nokelevu said.
An 18-year-old New Mexico mother who was caught on video throwing her newborn child into a dumpster told police she did not know she was pregnant until the day before she delivered her baby in a bathroom.
Alexis Avila allegedly admitted to putting the baby in the dumpster.
Alexis Avila was arrested and charged with attempted murder and child abuse after her infant son was found clinging to life on Friday night in 30-degree weather, nearly six hours after being tossed in the trash.
Avila was released from jail after posting $10,000 unsecured bond less than two hours after her arrest. She will be arraigned at a later time at Lea County District Court.
August Fons, the acting chief of Hobbs police department, said he had never before come across a case like this.
‘If you are struggling with a new infant, the best response is to find somebody who can help you with that,’ he said.
‘Contact us, and let us help you through the situation.’
Surveillance video showed a woman arriving in a white Volkswagen Jetta before opening the back door and tossing a black trash bag into a dumpster in Hobbs, New Mexico, at around 2pm on January 7.
Six hours later, footage showed three people looking through the dumpster before one of them found the infant inside. Incredibly, the newborn was alive, with the umbilical cord still attached.
Fons said their quick action was ‘absolutely pivotal’ in saving the baby boy’s life.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by KRQE on Monday, Avila confessed to throwing away her child. The 18-year-old mother told police she did not know she was pregnant until she went to a doctor for a stomach pain on Thursday.
The following day, she delivered her son in a bathroom at her parents’ home.
Avila said she had broken up with the baby’s alleged father back in August 2021.
After giving birth, Avila said she ‘panicked.’
She wrapped her son in a towel, placed him in a white plastic bag containing some trash, and a larger black trash bag, and drove around, before throwing the child in the dumpster at the Broadmoor Shopping Center at around 2pm.
New Mexico has a Safe Haven law, which allows a person to leave an infant not more than 90 days old with the staff of a hospital without fear of criminal prosecution.
It was not until nearly 8pm that evening that a group of dumpster divers, named by police as Michael Green, Hector Jesso and April Meadow rescued the infant after hearing his cries.
They told police they initially thought it was a kitten or a dog.
Meadow kept the baby warm by holding him in her arms until help arrived.
Avila’s son was taken to a hospital in Hobbs before being transferred to another hospital in Lubbock, Texas, which has a more advanced NICU unit.
When doctors assessed the baby, they found that his body temperate was so low that it did not register, indicating hypothermia. The newborn has since been given a blood transfusion, and put on a feeding tube and oxygen.
Police said the baby was in a stable condition at the hospital on Monday.
During her interview with the police, Avila was quoted as referring to her child as ‘it.’
Avila’s mother, Martha Avila, told investigators she was not aware of her daughter’s pregnancy.
Police later executed a search warrant at the family’s home and seized physical evidence, including bloody clothing.
Joe Imbriale, the owner of Rig Outfitters and Home Store, where the security camera footage was captured, said he was asked by police to review video on Friday night.
He told KOB: ‘Something wasn’t right, I saw the officers’ faces, and they did not look right.
‘I said ‘What is it we are looking for?’ and she goes ‘We’re looking for somebody who dumped a black garbage bag in your dumpster.’ I turned around, I said ‘please don’t tell me it was a baby’.’
Imbriale told KRQE that the video recording included five hours of footage showing unsuspecting people ‘dumping trash on this baby.’
The footage shows Avila driving into the parking lot in a white sedan and throwing a black garbage bag – containing her newborn – in it, before driving off and abandoning the child.
More footage shows the moment the child was rescued after people apparently heard the newborn’s cries.
Meadows pulled out a trash bag and reacted to what was inside.
By Lydia Lewis of RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.
Tonga’s Parliament has been opened by the King Tupou VI.
The King addressed the newly elected parliament, via livestream, with a brief speech from his residence on ‘Eua Island, an hour south of Tongatapu.
Members of Parliament and invited guests gathered at the parliamentary chambers to receive the opening address.
The king congratulated the incoming Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, as well as all Parliamentarians on the successful completion, and peaceful transition of power leading to the opening of Parliament this year.
Tonga’s Parliament opened by King Tupou VI Photo: Tonga parliament
Tonga MPs wait for the King to open parliament Photo: Tonga parliament
In his speech he said Covid-19 is still a serious and immediate risk to all citizens just as illegal drugs are still an ongoing risk to the population but especially to Tonga’s children.
“Our population must be both healthy and educated for the country to advance towards our development goals,” he said.
“The challenge for the duration of this next election period is clear. How are we to answer those challenges should be formulated and led by this government, but they must be discussed and accountable in how they are implemented here in Parliament,” King Tupou VI said.
First parliamentary session
The clerk of Tonga’s Parliament Gloria Pole’o said the first parliamentary session will be on Thursday.
“At this meeting the newly elected members will take their respective oaths of office as Members of Parliament and as ministers of the Cabinet and these oaths will be taken in the presence of the Assembly,” she said.
Gloria Pole’o said Thursday’s meeting will include the election of the chairman of the House Committee.
The reply to the Speech from the Throne is also expected to be tabled at Thursday’s meeting and needs to be approved by the House before it is submitted to the King.
Last month, King Tupou presented Siaosi Sovaleni with a Royal Warrant of Appointment in Nuku’alofa.
Mr Sovaleni was elected as Designate Prime Minister by 16 members of the 26 Members of Parliament in a secret ballot earlier this month.
He will hold the office of prime minister for four years.
Police officers, church ministers and leaders of the two communities were at the meeting which was livestreamed and shared on Facebook.
